Katie Brandt

Should I have a blog or a podcast to get leads?

While having a blog or podcast can be beneficial to your business, it’s not one size fits all. There are many factors that go into determining if these forms of content may be right for you. However, there are some very compelling reasons you should consider these content types for your business or personal brand.

How do I know if blogs or podcasts are right for me?

Blogs and podcasts are great ways to express your thought leadership. With the right customer base, these channels can connect you with your audience and open new lines of communication.

These content types allow you to tailor your content to a specific audience. This means you have the opportunity to provide helper content and serve as subject matter experts in your industry.

To decide if your business can benefit from blogs or podcasts, think about your audience. Got it? Let’s go to an even smaller scale now. Break your audience down into 2-4 specific customer types. Think about their demographics, interests, and lifestyle.

A key consideration to think about is what types of content they’re consuming and wherethey’re finding it. If written and audio content fit these preferences, it’s time to talk about blogs and podcasts.

So what is NOT the right customer base?

Some companies can greatly benefit from content such as blogs or podcasts. Others, however, simply do not have the right audience for this type of content.

If your personas don’t fit the mold of blog and podcast consumers, don’t fret. Take NASCAR for example. While people enjoy watching NASCAR on TV and consider themselves “fans,” many wouldn’t read a blog post or listen to a podcast about it. There’s nothing wrong with this, it just isn’t in the personas’ lifestyle.

There are other forms of content to reach your ideal audience, and there are many tools to help.

What IS the right customer base for podcasts and blogs?

If you are a subject matter expert (SME), a thought leader, or someone regarded as knowledgeable in a certain field, blogs and podcasts can be greatly beneficial.

A specified group as your target market is best for this kind of content. After you identify your specific personas, you can gain a better idea of what your customers want to see from you. From here, you’re able to create content that can provide value directly to them.

Take, for example, a doctor who has an office of highly skilled professionals with great relationships with their patients. A weekly blog from each of the members of the team of doctors could not only boost morale for the employees, but further establish them as experts in their field. This could even result in gaining more leads, customers, or higher retention of established customers. Who wouldn’t want that?

Okay, I’m in. Now what?

Do you have a niche you are filling or trying to fill? Are you a subject matter expert or thought leader? Are you looking for ways to continually provide value for your customers in more ways than just offering your product or service?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, a blog or podcast could be an excellent place to start providing additional value to your customers or clients.